Cavill admitted that he "bawled on the phone to [his] mom four times a day" at boarding school and became an "easy target", but explained that he began to shed the pounds when he was cast in The Count of Monte Cristo.

"I lost one and a half stone, and I wasn't Fat Cavill anymore," he joked.

Cavill, who praised his parents for teaching him to "believe" in himself, also revealed that he has cut back on his intense training regime now that shooting for Man of Steel is over.

"I'm not eating 5,000 calories a day anymore," he explained, though he refused to discuss his weight in terms of numbers.

"I will say I was a lot bigger as Superman," he said. "A lot bigger. I'm not saying how much. It's modesty about the weight - I've always been worried about my weight - but I also don't want to invite that debate: Henry weighs this, so he's the perfect Superman. Or, Henry doesn't weigh this, and therefore he's not believable in the role."

Man of Steel will arrive in cinemas on June 14. Watch a trailer for the film below: